GoPro keeps recording as it's melted by Hawaiian lava: See the wild video

Updated 7:00 am, Tuesday, November 14, 2017

A GoPro camera kept recording as it was melted by molten lava on Kilauea volcano.

Media: Erik Storm / Kilauea EcoGuides

A GoPro was overtaken by lava in Hawaii and barely lived to tell the tale.

Erik Storm, owner of Kilauea EcoGuides, accidentally caught the moment on camera while giving a tour of Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii's Big Island. Storm says he was telling a story about the Polynesian goddess Pele when he momentarily put down his Go Pro Hero 4.

"I am very passionate about what I do and sometimes get lost in providing our guests with cultural and scientific information," Storm said.

He lost an expensive camera, but gained an unbelievable story.

Video taken by the GoPro shows the molten lava inching closer until it sparks a fire, then fully engulfs the small camera.

Amazingly, the GoPro kept recording as its lens burned.

Photo: Kilauea EcoGuides

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A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

Photo: Kilauea EcoGuides

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A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

Photo: Kilauea EcoGuides

Image 3 of 5

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

Photo: Kilauea EcoGuides

Image 4 of 5

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

Photo: Kilauea EcoGuides

Image 5 of 5

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

A GoPro camera was engulfed by lava on Kilauea volcano. It managed to keep recording the entire time.

Credit: Kilauea EcoGuides

Photo: Kilauea EcoGuides

GoPro keeps recording as it's melted by Hawaiian lava: See the wild video

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Storm realized what had happened and used a geologist rock hammer to retrieve his camera from the cooling lava.

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"I thought the camera was for sure done when it was engulfed in the lava," Storm said. "When I got home I hammered all the hardened rock off of the camera and was amazed to see the blue Wi-Fi light still blinking!"

The end of the video shows Storm with the hammer and a tourist taking a picture of the unintentional display of the lava's heat. Lava can be anywhere from 1,300-2,200 degrees F when it pours out of a volcano.

The camera's lens was melted, rendering it almost useless. But Storm popped out the memory card and found footage of the entire event intact.

He says the incident happened back in August of 2016, but went viral recently after he shared the story with a professional photographer, who shared it with photo news site PetaPixel.